Railway-switch.



"PATENTED JUNE 2, 1908.

0 F CHRISTOPHER RAILWAY SWITCH. APPLICATION FILED BBQ. 14. 1907.

- PATENTED JUNE 2 1908. 0. F. CHRISTOPHER.

RAILWAY SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED DEG. 14,1907.-

3. SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Wit" Bozo Suez-Mot TERS co. wnsmusrou, n. c.

No. 889,441. PATEN'TED JUNE 2; 1908. 0. P. GHRISTOPHER.

' RAILWAY swrron. APPLIGAT ION FILED DEG. 14,1907.

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zmimrm w, a \a wihwoolcol attonwiao CALVIN F. CHRISTOPHER, OF ASHEVILLE,NORTH CAROLINA.

RAILWAY-SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 2, 1908.

Application filed December 14, 1907. Serial No. 406,515.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CALVIN F. CHRISTO- PHER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Asheville, in the county of Buncombe and State ofNorth Carolina, have invented a new and useful Railway witch, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to railway switches of that type designed to beoperated by a car approaching the switch, the car being provided withmeans whereby the switch can be shifted so as to direct the car ontoeither track.

The principal object of the invention is to provide simple mechanismwhereby power can be positively directed from depressible memberslocated between the rails of the track to the switch, said mechanismbeing of such a nature that it will not be affected by snow or othermaterials which ordinarily tend to interfere with the operation ofdevices of this character.

Another object is to provide switch shifting mechanism which may be usedin connection with conduit systems of railways such, for exam le, asunderground cable or underground efectric systems, the mechanism beingso constructed as to readily operate within the conduit without in anyWise interfering with. the operation of the parts necessary to themovement of the car.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists of certainnovel features of construction and combinations of parts which will behereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings is shown the preferred form of theinvention.

in said drawings: Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through a switchembodying the present improvements and showing a portion of a carprovided with the shifting mechanism. Fig. 2 is a plan view of theswitch embodying the present improvements. Fig. 3 is a section on linem9c, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a section on line y-y, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is atransverse section through a modified form of switch operatingmechanism. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of said modified mechanism. Fig.7 is a perspective view of another modified construction.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference, A designates themain track and B and C the tracks curving therefrom, there being switchtongues 1 and 2 mounted at the ordinary points and connected by a crossbar 3. A rack bar 4 is secured. to the lower face of bar 3 and directlyabove one end of a casing or trough 5 disposed longitudinally betweenthe rails of the main track and journaled within this trough or casingis a longitudinal shaft 6 having a segmental gear 7 at one end whichmeshes with rack bar 4. The other end of the shaft is provided with alarge segmental gear 8 interposed between and meshing with verticallymovable rack bars 9 and 10 which extend upward through an opening 11 in.the top plate 12 which is located between the rails at this point.

Rollers 13 are connected to and extend laterally from the upper portionof each rack bar 10 and the pivots 14 thereof project into flanges 15formed along the sides of arcuate depressible members 16 supportedbetween the rails of the main track as clearly indicated in Fig. 1.These members are preferably interposed between guard strips 17 locatedbetween the rails so as to prevent lateral movement of said members. Aspring 18 is secured within the opening 11 and adjacent each rack bar 10and said rack bar has a shoulder 19 against which the spring resses whenthe rack bar is lowered, thus yiei dingly holding the rack bars inraised or lowered positions.

The car D designed to travel upon the tracks carries mechanism foractuating either of the members 16 so as to shift the switch tongues inthe desired directions. This mechanism preferably consists of two shoes20 supported at one end by hangers 21 while the other end of each shoehas an operating rod 22 pivotally connected to it and extending upwardthrough the car platform. Each of these rods has a head 23 whereby itcan be conveniently manipulated and a spring 24 is provided for holdingeach shoe and its operating rod in elevated position.

W hen the car approaches the switch and it is desired to shift saidswitch the proper shoe is depressed by the motorman or other personoperating the car and this shoe will come into contact with the propermember 16 and said member has a convex upper face which will begradually depressed by the shoe and its rack bar 10 will be forceddownward and held by spring 18 while the segmental gear 8 will at thesame time force the other rack bar upward. This movement of thesegmental gear will result in the actuation of shaft 6 and pression ofeither member 28 will result in the actuation of rock bar 27 and gear 26so as to cause gear 25 and its shaft 29 to partly rotate and to transmitmotion through segmental gear 30 to the rack bar 31 to which the switchtongues are connected.

The two constructions heretofore de* scribed are especially designed foruse in railway systems which do not utilize conduits below the tracks.Where these conduits are provided a construction such as shown in Figs.5 and 6 maybe employed. The rock shaft 32 is extended longitudinallywithin the lower portion of the conduit and is provided at one end witha rock bar 33 provided with upstanding tubular members 34 which arepivoted to theends thereof. Within each of these tubular members isadjustably mounted a rod 35 connected to a wrist pin 36 extending from adisk 37. One of these disks is provided for each of the rods 35 and eachdisk is connected by a link 38 with the tongues of the switch. Rods 35can be locked in adjusted positions within members 34 in any preferredmanner as by means of set screws 39.

A segmental gear 40 is arranged at the opposite end of rock shaft 32 andmeshes with a segmental gear 41 extending downward from the centralpivoted portion of a rock bar 42. Tubular members 43 are pivoted to theends of this rock bar and slidably mounted within them are rods 44carrying depressible members 45 similar to the members 16 heretoforereferred to. Set screws 46 or other suitable means may be utilized forfastening the rods 44 in proper positions within the members 43. WViththis construction, and as shown in Fig. 5, the members 45 are disposedat opposite sides of the slot 47 of-the conduit and sufficient space isleft between the members 43 to receive a cable or conductors such asused in connection with cable or electric railways.

It will be seen that by providing mechanism such as herein described allparts with the exception of the depressible members 16, 28 and 45 areprotected from the elements and there is no danger of snow, dirt or thelike interfering with the proper operation of the arts.

hat is claimed is:

l. The combination with parallel alternately operating depressiblemembers; of a switch tongue, a rock shaft, adjustable means fortransmitting motion from said shaft to the tongue, and adjustable meansoperated by the depression of either member for actuating the shaft andraising the other member.

' 2. The combination with parallel alternately operating adjustabledepressible members; of a switch tongue, a rock shaft, means fortransmitting motion from the shaft to the tongue, a gear connected tosaid shaft, means operated by the depression of either member foractuating the gear and raising the other member, and portable springsupported shoes disposed to contact with the respective depressiblemembers to actuate the same.

3. The combination with parallel alternately operating depressiblemembers and guides therefor; of a switch tongue, a rock shaft, a rockbar movable with said shaft, means operated by the rock bar for shiftingthe switch tongue in a plane intersecting the plane of movement of therock bar, a second rock bar, connections between said bar and thedepressible members, and means for transmitting motion from said rockbar to the rock shaft.

4. In mechanism of the character described the combination with parallelrock bars, a shaft movable with one of the bars, and means fortransmitting motion to said shaft from the other bar; of alternatelyoperating depressible members connected to one of the rock bars, andmeans operated by the other rock bar for actuating a switch tongue.

5. In mechanism of the character described the combination with a rockshaft, a switch tongue, and means operated by the shaft for shifting thetongue; of alternately operating depressible members, means fortransmitting motion from said members to the shaft, each of saiddepressible members being pivotally mounted upon the motion transmittingmeans, and guards disposed along opposite portions of the depressiblemembers.-

6. In mechanism of the character described the combination with a rockshaft, a switch tongue, and means operated by the shaft for shifting thetongue; of a gear upon the shaft, a rock bar, a gear carried thereby foiactuating the gear on the shaft, and arcuate pivotally supported membersmounted upon the rock bar for engagement by actuating means.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CALVIN F. CHRISTOPHER.

